It was a brilliantly clear day.
A perfect day for a wedding.
A month had passed since Celine had gone to bid farewell at the royal palace to Her Majesty the Grand Queen Dowager, Her Majesty the Queen Dowager, and His Majesty the King.
Between the preparations for the wedding and the restructuring of their debts, the day had arrived in what felt like no time at all.
Thanks to Celine and Lieselotte's efforts, their debts had been covered through three different parties—the Grand Queen Dowager, the proprietress of a luxury brothel, and a merchant from the March of Ishurias.
Apparently they had first consulted the Margravine of Ishurias directly, but something had come up, and in the end they had turned to a merchant she introduced instead.
All three had apparently been eager not only to take over the debts, but to extend additional loans as well, hoping to secure a stake in the materials from the Demon Forest and the lucrative rights tied to the Reberk Barony.
Still, when it comes down to it, this round of financing only went so smoothly because of how beautiful Celine and the others are...
That thought crossed Yuri's mind, and he let out a wry smile.
Well, my ladies are adorable. Of course it worked out.
Then, quite suddenly, he remembered the time Lucretia, the proprietress of that luxury brothel, had come charging in.
"Skin as smooth as silk... Tell me, how exactly did you manage to get such sheen and firmness? Today, you're finally going to tell me."
Yuri had installed the surveillance-camera kit he'd purchased through his Merchant Gift in the salon, and together with Lieselotte, he stared intently at the images displayed on the monitor.
Every corner of the salon was shown in crisp detail on the screen, and Lieselotte tilted her head in fascination.
"This really is convenient. But how can the image be this clear...?"
Even through the camera, Lucretia's provocative smile was plain to see.
"Well, it is an arcane device from another world, after all."
Yuri answered with a smile.
In a world where magic existed, it was a stretch to call products from Japan "arcane devices" and leave it at that, but explaining the truth was a nuisance, so he had simply told them his previous world had been one where magical engineering was highly advanced.
And that was not the only thing the camera made obvious.
Lucretia possessed an absolutely overwhelming bosom.
It was, quite simply, a breathtaking sight.
Yuri found his eyes drawn to it before he could help himself, when suddenly Lieselotte murmured from beside him.
"Lord Yuri... do you like breasts that much?"
The question was so abrupt that Yuri froze for an instant, blinking as he turned to look at her.
Before he could find any words, Celine's voice came through the monitor at just the right moment, and he hurriedly turned his gaze back to the screen.
"Oh, it's really nothing special. It's just that... anything beyond this touches on the management of my domain, so I'll have to keep it secret."
Celine smiled and lowered her eyes slightly.
There was something quietly confident in the gesture.
"A secret, hm? You always were good at keeping people dangling, Celine."
Lucretia gave an exaggerated shrug.
"Well, fine. So all I have to do is lend you the money, yes? But asking for a large sum without putting up any collateral is rather impossible, don't you think?
I'm not the kind of woman who's so softhearted she loses money for it."
She's right. Nobody makes unsecured loans under normal circumstances...
It was his own proposal, so he could hardly complain, but it really was an aggressively bold negotiation.
"It won't only be beauty elixirs. I have all sorts of other ventures in mind as well. Tia, surely a profitable opportunity would interest you too?"
At the suggestive note in Celine's voice, Lucretia narrowed her eyes.
"And do you have any guarantee any of it will succeed?"
"Oh? You're the one saying that, Tia?
Wasn't it the previous mistress who said that those who fear change are swept away by it, and that those who fear uncertainty have no future—before building the position you hold today?"
Lucretia stared straight into Celine's eyes, then let out a sigh.
"You do remember the strangest old stories. Fine, then. But I'm no philanthropist. At the very least, I want the land and the building provided."
"The land is no problem, but I'd like you to provide the building, at least."
"Oh? So you're not confident?"
On the camera, the faintest smile played across Lucretia's face.
"All right, then. We'll provide the building as well."
"That is, provided it doesn't become a playground for wind star spirits.
Deserted mansions attract them before you know it."
"We have my lord husband with us, so there's nothing to worry about.
If anything, we'll be far too busy for the wind star spirits to even have time to look for a place to roost."
That one line made Yuri's heart jump.
He had never imagined they were placing that much hope in him.
"So that's the husband of yours who received the Merchant Gift... Celine, are you truly sure about this?
I'm not a noble, so I don't have a Gift myself, but don't go relying on him so much that you lose your footing."
Lucretia's gaze sharpened.
"Hehe, it's all right. My lord husband is special."
Celine answered with a radiant smile.
Hearing that made Yuri's face warm as well.
"It's unusual to hear you say that much about someone, Celine. I'm starting to get a little curious."
Lucretia's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but the look soon gave way to open curiosity.
"No. I'm not about to do something so dangerous as tossing a horned rabbit into a beast's cage."
"And horned rabbits' horns are surprisingly vicious, if I remember right..."
"Hehe. I haven't peered into the abyss myself yet, so I couldn't say."
With a sultry smile, and one fingertip resting lightly against her lips as though in thought, she gave that answer in a honeyed voice.
"If you make your possessiveness that obvious, he'll grow to dislike you."
Lucretia shrugged and spoke in a lightly teasing tone.
"It's fine. I've left the Harem to Lieselotte."
At Celine's words, Lieselotte put a hand to her cheek and let out a troubled little sigh.
"So you really do intend to dump absolutely everything on me..."
Not knowing what on earth he ought to say to that, Yuri decided to play the oblivious man.
If I say anything here, it's only going to make this even more complicated...
Lucretia's voice drifted from the monitor again.
"Is that so? Well, fine. I'll decide after I try the product first."
"Aina can also give you a massage that's wonderful for the skin, so do try one while you're here."
"So you are doing something after all. And who was it that said there was nothing special going on?
You really have become quite the businesswoman...
To think that the Celine who used to be sweet and straightforward would turn into such a shrewd operator."
At that, Celine smiled a little awkwardly, perhaps out of embarrassment.
"Bathing and having a massage are simply part of refined living for people of rank."
"You used to look up to me and call me big sister."
"A-all right, I understand, so please stop talking about that. It's embarrassing."
Yuri did not miss the way the tips of Celine's ears had turned slightly red.
That endearing little reaction sent a soft warmth through his chest.
With an involuntary smile, Yuri looked back on the exchange between them.
Celine had carried out negotiations like that in every direction, and in the end she had managed to wrest a substantial amount of capital from all sides.
Yuri, for his part, was more than a little relieved that the Cheat Merchant Gift had actually proven useful.
That said, the real challenge began now.
Their backers were already pressing them to explain exactly what kind of businesses they intended to launch.
Once they arrived in the Reberk Barony, they would have to work out a concrete business plan.
As Yuri stared vaguely up at the ceiling, a blend of anxiety and anticipation passed through him.
And today, at last, was the wedding.
His thoughts drifted, for a moment, to his life in the townhouse.
Exiled from House Leonidas and with nowhere else to go, he had been living in a servant's room at the townhouse of the Baroness Regnant of Reberk in the royal capital.
At the time he had still only been engaged to Celine, so there had also been the option of staying on at the royal palace.
But Celine and Lieselotte had both asked him not to go too far away.
Faced with those upward glances, there had been no way he could possibly refuse.
It had been downright unfair how cute they were.
...Celine and Lieselotte really were adorable back then...
Even if what they had truly been after was the food he could obtain through his Merchant Gift, Yuri had chosen to live that distinctly un-aristocratic life in the servants' wing in order to grant their innocent little wish.
Looking back on it now, having the future master of the house living in a servant's room must have made the maids feel terribly awkward.
He had been sleeping in servants' quarters back at House Leonidas as well, so he himself had not minded, but when he thought of the strain it must have put on them, he could not help feeling guilty.
Those same maids were still bustling about even now, wholly absorbed in the final preparations.
The tautness in the air around them seeped slowly into his chest.
Aina was in charge of Yuri's preparations, handling the final check of his attire, arranging his hair, and confirming his belongings with one efficient movement after another.
He lifted a hand to the collar of his formalwear, cinched just a little tighter than usual.
Somehow, it felt as though his breathing had grown shallow.
Telling himself he was merely overthinking it, Yuri let his gaze drift around the room.
The lavish garments and ornaments all around him somehow felt oddly unreal.
"I know it has to be lavish, since I'm marrying into the royal family, but...
somehow, it all feels rather beyond my station."